Dawn
by Tasogarewolf
Summary: The sequel to Dusk. Following Skye and Justin's leave from Forks, they travel north back to the coven that was once their home. A new and bigger problem has arrived, and this time someone may not make it back from the fight alive. OC centric warning. M.
1. Prologue: Trapped

Trapped.

Like a hamster in a clear plastic cage, I was trapped. I could move about as I pleased, but the restraints held me firm.

It was like I was in some sick science experiment, my freedom was waiting for my hand to reach out and take it, but I couldn't move for fear of a different hand coming down on my shoulder. There was no moving for me, I even breathed with caution. The walls had eyes, and the floor had ears.

It was maddening, knowing that what I wanted, what I _needed_, would always be out of my grasp but as clear as the sun that shone in my prison.

I'd sworn that no four walls would ever hold me against my will, that nothing would keep my heart caged. But it was. My wild spirit was tamed and thrown into a cell like an orphaned cub, alone and frightened.

I had no escape.

And there would be no rescue.

All I could do was wait for the word of the demise of what I loved.

That was the only way I would go free.

It was a sickening and cruel means of torture, but it kept me docile. What could I do? Who could I turn to for help?

There was a slight chance that someone would come for me, but even then... I had no way of getting out myself without having my rescuer come with me.

What was the point of freedom then?

Why would I care about the fresh air out of my cell, the sunlight that wasn't diminished by the windows then? When what I loved existed no more?

I cannot live without my life. I cannot live without my soul.

I'd be free.

But I'd be dead.

There wasn't any escape. And I wasted no hope on it. All I could do was sit there, patiently, and wait for the end to come. And I bowed my head, wishing it'd just come quickly.

**AN**

**There's the prologue, lol. I tried to do it in SM style (which I should never, EVER, try again.) And give away as least as possible... Don't think it worked much, lol. Anyhow! Review, review, review, I wanna know if this is worth continuing!**

**Evie**


	2. Chapter 1: Familiar Territory

**Skye's POV**

Finally! We'd made it past the border without incident, mostly because Justin ran so fast that nobody noticed when a gust of wind tore through the trees. I didn't know why, but I felt a surge of relief the second we made it past the border. Maybe it was the fact that I was back on my turf now, that could have been it. But I didn't care. I was home.

We would have had another two hours or so to go if we'd been driving, but Justin cleared it without any effort at all. I liked those perks of having a vampire for a boyfriend. Travel time was quite literally cut down magnificently, it wasn't so bad knowing that your arm was wound into quite a handsome looking creature's instead of an average joe, and as for the happenings in the bedroom... Quite a perk, quite a perk.

He was still running, but I'd looked up now, naming the trees absently as they flashed by us with impressive speed. The wind didn't bother me, I rather liked how it whistled through my hair. I'd considered cutting it short again, maybe it'd finally seal my acceptance of going back to who I had been.

I nearly laughed snidely at myself. No. I still refused to respond to my given name and I doubted I'd ever really forgive myself for what I'd done. I was amazed how the Cullens had found it in them to forgive me, and they barely even knew me. I felt a bolt of pain hit my chest, and I had to remember to breathe.

I missed them already. We've been travelling for about a weeks now, we stopped in Alaska to room with Tanya's coven for a day or two to lay low. We continued to stop, travelling as fast as we dared the closer we got to the border. I was just glad we were finally back.

We raced through the woods now, the trees whipped by us at illegal speeds. I hugged him tightly, but my eyes wouldn't tear away from the green and brown mess we were flying through. Home. I was home.

I began to recognize the scenery after a few minutes, it was impossible to forget this place. Justin was moving slower now, well slower for him. He was basically jogging, which was still faster than me at my full out sprint. I was perversely proud of my speed, considering I was human after all, but the vampires' ability made me jealous. Damn it.

We were deep in the woods now, up in the real north. Or cottage country for the Canadian citizens. It was the perfect place to hide a coven of vampires. The forest stretched on for miles, literally. Well, kilometres, now that we're speaking Canadian. Snort.

If I remembered my geography right, we were around Sudbury now, northern Ontario at its finest. And Stephen's coven made their home there, at the deepest part of the forest, the farthest point away from the city. We were getting close, the signs were obvious for us.

"Can you smell them?" I asked quietly, almost whispering into Justin's ear as he continued to jog through the woods.

"Yeah... Faint, the trail's at least a week old." Justin answered me with a shrug that literally bumped me up his shoulders. "Guess they haven't been hunting."

"Or they've been taking new routes." I pointed out, poking him between the shoulders as he slowed his pace to a walk. He seemed content to let me ride with him, and I wasn't complaining. I quite enjoyed it.

"That could be true." Justin conceded with a chuckle, glancing over his shoulder at me. I grinned and he laughed quietly, kissing the tip of my nose. "Don't get wise on me, Stephen will think I'm whipped."

I giggled, toying with his hair absently as we strolled through the woods. If anybody was whipped, it was Stephen. He had been the only male in a home of three women, and I was sure if anyone, Sara had him trained. It was amusing to think of, Stephen didn't need to assert his position as leader, everybody naturally looked up to him. But as much as nobody would challenge his authority, the girls didn't put up with any of his crap either. It was amusing to watch him.

Justin continued with his long strides, occasionally glancing around, trying to catch a familiar scent. But from his ever further tensing body, he wasn't getting anything. That was starting to worry me, had they moved on without telling us? Or had the Volturi maybe caught up with them instead...?

I shuddered at the thought. I didn't want to imagine anything happening to them.

We finally stopped, shadowed by the massive trees that nearly blocked out the late afternoon sky. I was starving and a bit restless, so Justin set me down and sat beside me as I found an apple in my bag. I finished it quickly, savouring the natural sweet taste as I did so.

Watching Justin, I knew he was wishing he could run ahead and scout, but he didn't want to risk leaving me alone. He couldn't be so reckless when I was with him as well though, it wasn't a fun situation for him.

I sat up on a boulder that literally just sat between two ancient trees, watching Justin sitting on the ground below me, back against the rock. I hopped down beside him, not liking the expression on his face. I sat beside him, and leaned into his side. He glanced at me curiously for a moment, then smiled, wrapping his arm around my shoulders and shifting me closer.

I didn't mind the cold. I'd been adjusting well to it, now that we let ourselves do things like this. I could get used to anything these days, as long as he was there. He nuzzled into my neck and we sat there for a little, both wrapped up in our own thoughts.

I was really excited to see my girls again. I nearly laughed at myself, when had they become _my_ girls? Sara wasn't anybody's girl, she'd made that clear a lot, she was her own woman at the frozen age of twenty-two. Technically since she was biologically older than Stephen, the coven should have been hers. But she'd gracefully bowed out when Stephen offered it to her, she wasn't the leader type.

And she made a good point in arguing that Stephen may have been younger, but he had much more experience than she did. She'd only been turned thirty years ago, in 1975. Stephen had been turned twenty years before that at the age of eighteen. He had fifty years under his belt, which outweighed her thirty. Stephen accepted the leadership after Melanie agreed, but not until Cait declined as well.

Cait. A walking enigma. No one was really sure when she was born, or created, she didn't really give anyone specifics. It was safe to assume that she was older, if not the same age, as Stephen, her control was amazing. But she had one flaw that made life very hard for her. She was mute.

We weren't sure if she just didn't speak, or couldn't. She was able to laugh, huff, and portray her emotions through wordless sounds, but that was it. She never spoke. She always carried around a small notepad with a pen or pencil stuck behind her ear, and she'd communicate that way if we couldn't read her face well enough. Her personality shone through even with the barrier, she may not have been able to speak, but she could damn well tell you what she was feeling anyway. A bubbly young woman frozen in time, with a spectacular sense of humour and a very cheerful smile.

She was my kindred spirit, my best friend, besides Bella of course. Bella was my best friend, the sister I never had, Cait _was_ my sister. Cait balanced out Stephen and Sara wonderfully, being the middle ground between their attitudes.

Sara. Too many words could be used to explain Sara, and she'd happily insist that none of them were right. She peppered conversations with her sharp wit and good humour, and the occasional British cuss. She had a light feathery voice, which only over-emphasized her English accent, and made the woman seem like she was still a sweet seventeen. Ever the optimist, she abandoned her life in England when she was changed, and moved to America to start new. She'd been one of the few that I knew of to start her new life as a vegetarian without outside help.

Stephen was an insane opposite to Sara, but in ways that it left me puzzled to the point of wondering why they hadn't killed each other yet. She'd see a half-full cup of water, and he'd wonder why they bothered to leave it unfinished. She'd see hope in a useless situation, and he'd marvel at how they got there in the first place. He was quiet and open-minded, and hopeless when it came to women, even though he'd been surrounded by them for about twenty years now. But he was honest, honest to the fault where I thought it was impossible for him to lie.

Thinking about them now, wondering how they had been doing, it left an ache inside me. I missed Sara's pranks, Stephen's exasperation with the women, Cait's happy company. And I hadn't let myself feel it so strongly since I'd been in Forks. I kicked myself. Of course not, it was like I'd gone through a mirror and came out a new me. I forced myself to not gag, how stupid.

But it was true, Bella... Being around her again brought out the real me, the Christine me. I'd never be her again, but the odd bits of me that Bella tended to bring out were back with a vengeance. I sighed a little. I wasn't either Skye or Christine now, but a mix of the two. I smirked a bit at myself. Now I had double personalities and an odd third one that balanced them out. I really needed medication.

Justin was staring out into the woods, whenever a breeze blew by, he stiffened, trying to catch a familiar scent. Still nothing. He growled a little in irritation. It must have really been bothering him. He was a tracker, Stephen had taught him well, it helped that the boys were both pro at the skill. Being a tracker it should have been easy for him to find the coven.

If they hadn't been hunting for the past few weeks, the scents would have gone dead and covered. Stephen and Justin had explained it to me once, how even though our scents were the easiest thing to trace, if it had been too long, the scents of the live things, animals, plants or other humans, a trail could be effectively hidden or even destroyed.

So since Stephen and his lot hadn't been hunting, or travelling in the area for that matter, there wasn't a scent to go on. And that infuriated my lover to no end.

It was easy to tell what he wanted to do. His entire body was itching to track them out. But he couldn't do that so well with the extra baggage that was me, he needed the freedom to run around wild at full speed.

I finally sighed loudly, breaking the long silence that had engulfed the both of us. He looked at me, eyes curious and wide again. "Go on."

He raised his eyebrows, expression puzzled. It was cute, him wearing that boyish expression. I reached out, smoothing his mussed hair backwards where it belonged. He leaned into the treatment, still confused. "What?"

"Go, I'll wait here for you." I answered with a shrug. Why not? He needed to find them, and it'd be quicker if he was by himself. There weren't any wild animals around as far as I could tell, I could sit ten minutes and wait. "It's fine."

"I'm not leaving you by yourself here!" Justin protested immediately, and I'd have been lying if I said I didn't expect it. Months ago, he may have let me without a fight. I was glad that'd changed. "What if something comes round here thinking you'd make a decent lunch?"

"You'd hear me scream and I'd bolt up a tree." I answered without missing a beat, trying really hard to stop a laugh before it happened. If I laughed I knew he wouldn't leave me alone. "C'mon Justin, we need to find them and you work better when you're by yourself. I can wait, I'll be just fine."

He glared at me still, his expression hard. "And if a bear decides to come strolling by?"

I frowned. Good point, but not what I was hoping to hear. Dammit. It took me a few moments to gather my intelligent ideas, kicking myself in the ass every time I felt like saying something sarcastic. "I'll hide up in a the tree before you leave." That was all I had, I had to resist the urge to palm my face. I was such an idiot.

He still was glaring, but I was pretty sure by the twitch in his cheeks that he was trying to hide a smile. I was that stupid but I tried. He finally shook his head and pressed his cold lips against my cheek. "Fine. But I'm putting you in the tree, and I'll be back in ten minutes exactly. Don't you dare move."

I saluted like a soldier and he rolled his eyes. He had me in his arms in moments, handing me my bag before launching straight up in a very impressive jump. He set me down in the tree, and I sat as close to the trunk as I could, fighting off the instinctive fear of heights.

He kissed me again, this time gently on the lips. He broke away before I could get any ideas, and lovingly ruffled my hair. "I'll be back soon. Don't move, kay?" Another peck followed his words, he jumped down and took off.

I yelled in annoyance after him, "Where else am I gonna go you jackass?!" I heard his booming laugh and then it faded before I heard nothing but the sound of my own breathing.

Sitting up in a tree was somewhat normal for me, I used to do it all the time for privacy when I was reading at home or what not. But our trees were about half the height of these ones, trees I could easily climb up and out of without worrying about falling and breaking my leg. Well, considering how I was surprisingly athletic.

But these trees stretched higher than I liked for climbing, way too high for my liking. And currently, staring down at the ground, I was scared to fall because I'd probably break every bone in my fragile body if I hit the wrong way, or at all. The view was great, but not my taste when I wasn't secure.

The branch I was sitting on was thick, thick enough to support my weight without any strain. But it didn't stop me from basically hugging the tree trunk and nestling myself as close as I could. My legs swung over the edge, dangling there. I watched the ground in boredom.

That's when I saw it fly across my field of vision below me, if I hadn't been paying attention I probably would have missed it. But I saw it, a blur flying with impressive speed across the ground. I blinked and it was gone. What? I leaned over as far as I dared without upsetting my stomach, staring at the ground. Would it come again?

I wasn't disappointed, it flew across the ground again, much too fast for me to work out features. It was simply a blur. I frowned. This wasn't normal. I knew enough to say it probably wasn't a human and it probably wasn't friendly. Instincts screaming for me to stay huddled in the tree, my curiosity wanted me to shuffle down.

Curiosity won.

I hesitantly made my way to the ground, fully expecting to be knocked to the side by something incredibly strong. When my feet touched dirt, I sighed softly and glanced around hastily. What the hell was it?

A soft crack to my right caught my attention, and I whirled as fast as I possibly could to see what it was. I saw nothing but trees stretching on to the point of my vision. I swallowed nervously. This was a very stupid idea.

Another crack, louder this time, from behind me. I turned again, adrenalin surging through me and setting my heart motoring. Great, give whatever it was a target! Still nothing.

That's when I felt it, something soft touched my back, but when I whirled there was no one there. My heart was really motoring by this point, I had a half crazy urge to start running. But where? I wouldn't get far. A low growl echoed from the left of me, but when I turned it was at my right. I froze where I stood.

Was this it?

The growl ceased suddenly, and my heart stopped beating for a long moment. Then something heavy hit my back, and I lurched forward as two cold arms wound around my shoulders. I closed my eyes and prayed for a swift end.

**AN**

**Lol, bad for a first chapter, huh? Yeah I know. I'll go hide under my bed now. (Hides)**

**Evie**


	3. Chapter 2: The Girls Plus One?

The cold arms suddenly tightened a little, but not nearly enough to kill me. That's when I heard the most welcoming sound ever, a soft and tinkly laugh that I recognized at once. My heart stopped and then ran into overdrive. An icy pair of lips pressed swiftly against my cheek, and I turned to prove my suspicions.

My heart burst with sheer elation the second my eyes lay on the girl. Beautifully pale, warm caramel eyes, about half a head shorter than I was and wearing a bigger and brighter grin than me. "Cait!"

The little vampire was bouncing up and down very fast on the spot, her sides becoming blurs. She was wearing cutoff jeans for shorts, and a white shirt with torn off sleeves. She was of course barefoot, and her pale slender feet were finely dusted with dirt. But I couldn't look away from that angelic face I'd come to love.

Cait's features were young, it'd be easy to mistake her for twelve if someone didn't bother to look at her more deeply. Turned at the tender age of fifteen, she retained every single physical feature she'd been changed with. Her hair was short and choppily cut, the auburn showing through with more red than brown. She was small and lithe, roughly about the same size as Alice if not a bit taller.

But her face betrayed the youth of her figure. As warm and childish as it looked at first glance, her eyes were ancient as they were bright but darkened with a secret pain that she'd always carry.

Cait bounded forward and wrapped her arms around me, still bouncing as she hugged me in all of her excitement. I laughed, winding my arms around her too. Her cold was welcoming. She hopped away, wide smile gracing her beautiful features. I smiled and touched her soft hair. "I'm happy to see you too."

It was easy to read her, speech wasn't needed between us sometimes. Her body language and facial expression normally told me all I needed to know. She was grinning, brightly from ear to ear, and she was bouncing. Clearly excited. She continued to bounce, blurring around the edges again, I had to cover a snicker.

She kissed my cheek again, giggling a bit when she drew away. It was hard for me to not giggle along with her. It was just so natural to be with Cait, she made it so easy. We drew away, and now she was intent on scanning me from top to bottom. I held still, understanding the serious expression on her childish face.

She reached out, her fingertips just brushing the hallow of my throat. They suddenly moved, as if pulled by some strange magnetic force, to the scar that I was sure would always exist on my shoulder. She felt it through my clothes, and a troubled mask flitted across her face for half a second. Then it was gone, and her hands dropped to her sides.

"Ah dammit!"

Cait probably heard the voice before I did, probably knowing that they wouldn't be far behind her. I guessed she took off the second she caught my scent, it was so like Cait to do that without warning anybody. I wondered if it was because of that quick breeze, if I'd been downwind the entire time then no one would have scented me.

Sara ambled through the brush, complaining angrily as she went, her dark strawberry blond hair pulled back into a ponytail to avoid losing it in the trees. Her eyes were bright gold, warm honey. She'd recently hunted. She hadn't noticed me yet, or she was ignoring me, or maybe both but the latter unconsciously. She wore the same clothing Cait did, except her shirt was a pretty blue.

Then another breeze blew softly through the trees, rustling my hair and sending my scent directly towards Sara. The vampire froze, eyes widening for an instant before her head snapped up and she stared at me. The expression was nearly comical. Sara was naturally beautiful, her pale angular face was fit for a smile, and her eyes were always warm no matter her mood.

"No way."

Cait was bouncing again, giggling as she went. Sara crossed the distance between us, giving a sharp cuff to the back of Cait's head as she went. She stood in front of me, her expression confused for a moment. Her arms were crossed tightly across her chest, I wondered if she was angry to see me. It'd make sense, considering how long I had been gone. And I did promise to come back as quickly as I could, but it wasn't quick enough.

I choked out an odd laugh, it sounded way too squeaky to my ears. Cait was still bouncing, ignoring Sara entirely, so like her. "Hi Sara."

Sara raised her perfectly lined eyebrows, the expression doing nothing to take away from those golden eyes of hers. At second glance I realized Cait's eyes were the same shade, they had been hunting when she scented me. I was grateful for the wind. Her arms were still crossed, and when she spoke her voice was heavy with her accent, "Well it's about bloody time you made it here you idiot."

I grinned. Forgiven then. That was good news. "It's great to see you too Sara." I opened my arms half-heartedly, fully expecting her to pop me one in the jaw. "Do I get a hug?"

"Yeah, yeah." Sara laughed, a beautiful chirping sound that reminded me of a bird's morning song. She hugged me close, her arms loosely draped around my waist to protect my fragile body from harm. When we broke, she gave me a quick once over, her eyes taking in everything she needed to know in an instant. She smirked once, glad to see I was still fairly me, then turned on Cait, hands on her narrow hips. "And as for you, you little weasel..."

Cait winced and then teleported behind me, slumping down to hide her petite form behind mine. Which wasn't hard for her, she was tiny enough to hide behind a rock. I knew that Sara wouldn't lay a hand against Cait, no one would. There were three reasons for that in all honesty. First, she could be annoying as all hell, but the girl was terrifying when she became angry. Second, she was too cute to hit, and too cheerfully honest. And third, Stephen would personally burn anyone who touched her.

"You ran off without so much as a bloody warning, you didn't even have the honest decency to poke to say you were vanishing. Just upped and left you did! I nearly had a blasted heart-attack wondering how I was going to explain to Stephen that I lost ya!" Sara ranted, absolutely no venom whatsoever in her voice. She couldn't ever be truly angry with Cait, maybe it was the midget's charm. She never did anything wrong. I could only imagine what hell Stephen would cause if Cait disappeared.

Cait stood on tiptoe to peek her wide eyes over my shoulder, her small hands pressing gently against my back. I almost laughed, this had been a common joke between her and Sara for years. Sara could never play the heavy for very long, Cait always did something to make her laugh, and they'd be best friends again.

It worked, Sara's icy scowl broke in two as her upper lip quirked into a tiny smile. Cait dashed around me, giving Sara a swift hug before she was back at my side, arms wound around my waist and face buried in my shoulder. I giggled, ruffling her hair with my one free hand. Cait wasn't always so affectionate, but it was cute.

"So how you been?" Sara asked me casually, now that her and Cait's fight was over she was back to her normal carefree and cheery routine. She leaned against the boulder I'd been sitting on awhile ago while Cait toyed absently with her shirt, still glued to my side.

Cait glanced up at me the moment she heard my lungs inflate as I readied a breath for answering. I was used to that behaviour from Cait, mute or not, she never wanted to miss a word of action even though her hearing was impressive even with vampire standards. "You know the usual." I answered just as casually, deciding to earn myself a good clip on the ear, "Werewolves, newborn army, a visit from the Volturi..."

Sara raised her eyebrows until they were in danger of disappearing into her hair, and Cait was the one who gave me a sharp smack to the back of _my_ head. She snorted in disapproval, and Sara fought to hide a smirk. Nice to know I was loved. "Well you have quite the bit of explaining to do then, don't you?"

"Can we wait till we get back home? I'm kind of tired of the wilderness." I asked with a laugh, glancing around at the green and brown that engulfed me. After being surrounded by it for roughly fourteen days straight, I really was hoping for a relatively warm home to sleep in, or at least somewhere with a roof over my head.

That's when the moment fell flat. They probably had hoped that I wouldn't notice their movements, just an quick glance to the east, past the trees and onto something I didn't see. Their expressions flickered from amusement to worry in half a moment, then back but the strain was there, deep in their eyes. Something was off.

My suspicion flickered, and I glanced out to look at whatever it was they'd seen. That's when I froze the moment my eyes met a pair of orange-red ones. It felt like I'd been hit with a hammer in the chest, the air rushed out of my lungs in a hard gasp and I staggered backwards instinctively. My heart started to race, annoyingly loud in my ears, and I was looking for means to escape before I could kick myself.

It took half a second to calm myself down, the old Skye kicking my inner coward into shape immediately. I stood where I was, feet planted firmly into the ground but no matter what I did, I couldn't tear my eyes from the pair that had been in the trees moments ago. They'd vanished, whoever the eyes belonged to having bolted as soon as my gaze was torn from them.

Sara sighed in defeat, rubbing her temples lazily with her right hand. Cait shook her head, her expression was a mix of impatience, annoyance and -did I read it right?- disgust. Sara saw that, and an odd light lit her eyes and she hissed warningly at Cait.

I'd never seen anyone raise their lips to the small vampire, even Stephen who could set a fire to the forest when he was angry had never even so much as swore at Cait. It was surprising, and fairly confusing to see what would make Sara react like that. Cait, who selfishly would probably have gotten used to the glass treatment, didn't look the least bit surprised. Her lips turned down, increasing her scowl, almost like she was saying 'I told you so'.

Sara hissed again, but this time she spoke along with the low angry sound. "She can't help it, don't act all smug. It's not like you were able to control it either when you were born."

Cait snorted mirthlessly, rolling her perfect golden eyes to the sky before back to settle on the forest, once again on something I couldn't see. I was confused, the two never fought like this. I knew those eyes, it wasn't the first time I had seen a pair like that. And I could understand what Sara was saying, it was easy to piece the clues together.

There was another newborn. One who wasn't yet fully adjusted either.

"Kelly." Sara called kindly, turning her entire body towards the forest now. Cait stepped casually in front of me, her body tensing as she did, into a protective stance. So this newborn wasn't fully trained yet either? My brain twitched, Cait didn't trust this newborn, I was missing several big pieces of this new puzzle. I frowned. Being out of the loop wasn't fun. "Kelly, come here, it's okay."

There was silence for a long moment from the forest. Cait snorted again, indignantly this time. Clearly not okay with her. Then, like a ghost of a breeze, the leaves ruffled and the newborn appeared.

I was struck silent. I had to look up, she was taller than Sara was and she was near my height. Her eyes were a strange orangish colour, very new then and adjusting to the animal diet. Her hair was a wavy mess of brown and blond highlights that were tied back in a ponytail like Sara's. Her outfit was pretty much the same as the other girls' except her jeans were an off-white, and her shirt was navy.

Sara stood closest to her, her posture relaxed. The newborn stood stiffly, and I noticed she wasn't breathing. Her gaze was on me, but not at all hungry like I'd expected. It was... Scared? I blinked a few times as that registered. What newborn was afraid of her prey? Cait had her defensive stance still, and I noticed her upper lip was curling just a little, enough to give the newborn a warning that I wasn't a snack. It was almost territorial.

"Sara." The newborn's voice was low, but still oddly musical just like the rest of them. Her orangish eyes tore away from my face, from my blood, to the English vampire now, porcelain skin still tight with fear. "I shouldn't be here, Stephen will be angry with me..."

Cait barked a short and mirthless laugh. The newborn looked at her with confused eyes, and I realized she hadn't known Cait long enough to understand all her wordless gestures of speech. I knew Cait was annoyed, that she was unhappy and reproachful with this development.

"Cait, lighten up. Kelly knows better than to attack Skye. Besides, she's full fed." Sara admonished Cait gently, her voice lost of the venom it had previously had. I realized that Sara was oddly protective of this newborn, it could be very well that she'd changed the woman. She turned back to Kelly, her expression apologetic. "The human's name is Skye, she's part of our coven."

"A human?" Kelly questioned directly to Sara, sparing a mystified glance towards me. Very new then, she'd probably had no idea about this whole thing before her change.

Cait hissed, another low and warning one. Kelly skipped a foot back away from Cait, giving ground in a very animalistic gesture. I was reminded of the wolves I'd once seen playing in the forest with their pack while they rested. The new pups, not so much milk-pups anymore, giving way to their older members without a fight, showing the instinctive respect of a low officer to the captain. She knew enough then.

"Cait, cut it out." I said quietly, and she glanced at me with wide eyes, disbelief colouring her expression. Sara wouldn't let anything happen to me, she knew Justin would kill her without hesitating and not even Cait would be able to stop him if he wanted to do it. Cait knew this, and she calmed herself, but she was still tense. I gave my full attention to the newborn now. "I'm not technically a part of their coven, being a human and all... But Stephen accepted myself and my mate into it."

I only used that word loosely, but it sent a hidden thrill through me anyway. We never used that term to describe our relationship, it was mostly 'boyfriend' or 'girlfriend' with us, occasionally 'lover'. Mate was something vampires only would use when describing us. But it was a newborn, I figured she'd better understand the lingo.

"Your mate." She spoke oddly coolly, but not without emotion. The coolly as in she was taking my words in an oddly detached way, studying them. She verified my words by repeating them, and studied my curiously. She turned to Sara, and I sensed the relationship right from that one gesture.

Siblings. Sara was treating her almost with adoration, like an elder sister would to their newborn one. Kelly had absolute faith in Sara, without missing a beat she would turn to the elder vampire and Sara was ready to answer in that same beat. It was strange to see that, but almost reassuring at the same time.

"Yes, my mate." I answered just as calmly, worried to slip and start laughing. Mate. I could only imagine what Justin would say if he heard me. The idiot.

"How would that..." Kelly faded off, looking intensely curious. She looked at Sara, silently pleading for an answer to her raging wonder. It _would_ look impossible to her perspective, wouldn't it? With her newfound strength that even outdid her elders, it would like mighty crazy.

"I'm not sure myself." Sara admit sheepishly, glancing almost enviously at me. She'd never made a protest about my relationship with Justin, she pretended not to care really. But I knew deep down, she was a little bit envious. She'd been alone thirty years, sisters were nice but I knew everyone hoped for some companionship. I knew Cait did but that was a bit of an unmentionable subject.

"It took a lot of practise and a hell of a lot more self-control." I answered. Well, it was partly true. I remembered the first few times we had tried it, I had bruises that looked like ink had stained my skin. It had taken quite a but of practise before I only woke up sore. I still didn't escape the occasional bruise though.

Kelly was examining me, still not breathing. I had to commend her behaviour, most newborns might have attacked me by now. I'd travelled with Justin long enough to know their behaviour quite well now. I realized that Sara was quite right about her.

I couldn't hide my curiosity, and I asked quietly, "Who changed you?"

Kelly winced visibly, the memory of the change was still fresh in her mind. Cait looked hard at Sara, blame and annoyance radiating from every diamond-like pore in her body. I glanced at Sara too, waiting for her to confirm my suspicions. She did, with a short sigh through her nose. She didn't look up at Kelly and muttered in her light voice, the emotion clashing with her accent, "I did... She'd been attacked by a pack of wolves when she was hiking." It was obvious that she would know more than Kelly, the memories were probably so faded she didn't remember much either. "I couldn't just leave her there to die..."

Cait was silent, something strange for her. She was looking away, her eyes slits as she did so. Something more about this story annoyed her, I wondered what.

All three of them suddenly whipped their heads around, and by the time I looked too, a rush of wind nearly knocked my flat on my ass. Cait had been shouldered aside, but she didn't look too surprised, and crouched in front of me was Justin, snarling angrily at Kelly.

Sara hissed back at him, sinking down into the more leonine crouch she preferred over the wolfish one. Kelly looked shocked dumb, blinking in alarm at Justin. I'd noticed she'd jumped another foot backwards, out of his arms length. But what surprised me was she hadn't once gone for a crouch, she reacted... Well, in a real human way instead of a vampire way. I knew from everyone that newborns were ruled by their instincts alone, it was weird seeing her act like... Well, like a human.

Justin was still snarling when Sara's hiss ended, his upper lip curled over his glistening teeth. I was slightly surprised by his fierce show of anger. Kelly stared dumbstruck, not moving and only after a loaded silence did Justin stop snarling. He snapped out, "Who's the newborn?"

"Her name is Kelly." Sara replied angrily through grit teeth, teeth still bared and hands still curled. "She wasn't going to attack Skye."

Justin snarled softly, but he glanced up at me anyway. I smiled ruefully, letting my expressions speak instead. He fluidly got to his feet and wrapped me up in his arms to press me securely to his chest. My breath left me with a 'whoosh', but I didn't care. I hugged him back, resting my head on his shoulder as his lips pressed gently to my hair, his cold seeping into me.

I was well aware of Kelly's shocked stare on my back, and Cait's wry smile as she watched us. I could only wonder what the hell else was next.

**AN**

**It was getting too long, lol... And now I have a question for my readers (I'll always ask this, I have readers?) I had no idea it was actually possible for a human to get pregnant with her vampire lover!! (starts crying) Now that I have that plothole thrown at me, is it alright if I beg forgiveness and sidestep that minefield for the moment with Skye? Please? At least till I decide what to do...?**

**Evie**


	4. Chapter 3: Back Home?

Justin carried me on his back as the group raced through the forest back to the little cabin Stephen had built for everyone. It had grown with each new addition, Stephen was a good handyman. Cait took the rear, Sara and Kelly danced forwards and Justin stayed centre.

It only took a few moments before we were there, and my heart caught in my throat when I saw it. It looked perfect. It literally was built from logs, in that old style of how homes were built. Where they were lay across the perimeter of the home, put together in that weird jigsaw look where the edges would pop out.

It was bigger than I remembered, and it looked like an extra story had been put up too. For the new number I guess it was a good idea... Moron, I shouted inwardly at myself. I winced, there wasn't a new number. Kelly replaced Melanie's spot. Now I wondered if Stephen only went to work because he was upset.

That was when the door opened, and the leader and only male of the coven stepped out.

Stephen was the sort of person everyone would stare at from a distance, no one would ever have the courage to say hello to him. Even the teachers could get intimidated. He was basically the embodiment of the 'silent outcast' label. He was tall, leonine, quite a bit like Jasper but with Emmett's iron frame just scaled down. His hair was liquid onyx, slicked back in Justin's style, short but still handsome.

I would never clearly see what I'm sure all other vampire's did, but also with his intimidating good looks, scars dotted his forearms and chest all the way up his throat but stopped at his jaw. He had been around the block quite a few times. I noticed how Kelly already gave him a wide berth, even though he was the most civilized vampire I'd ever met, besides Carlisle. Only Sara and Cait were really comfortable around him, Cait more so than Sara.

Stephen's eyes were gold too today, he probably had hunted the day before, letting the girls teach Kelly by themselves. Probably a better idea anyway, considering how she was scared of him. She was right to, considering he looked ferocious to newborns with all those scars. He was the only one in the entire coven that wore black, black jeans and a black muscle top that clung to his well defined chest. His expression was polite enough when his eyes rested on Justin and me, but I saw the flicker of emotion in his eyes when they rested longer on my boyfriend.

Justin nodded respectfully, but I felt him tense. He was expecting something along the lines of an attack, vengeance over Melanie's death. A thrill of horror shot right up my spine and I grabbed Justin's arm without thinking. No. I wouldn't let it happen. Stephen far outclassed Justin, he had half a century behind him, Justin hadn't even hit a decade yet.

But Stephen relaxed, all hatred seemingly gone. It was impossible he'd just gotten over Melanie in such a quick time, even with Cait and Sara consoling him. But had he possibly forgiven Justin already? I wouldn't lie, I was praying for it. He spoke quietly, his naturally warm voice wasn't forced. "Justin, Skye. I'm glad to see you again."

"Ditto." I murmured, looking towards Kelly. I didn't know what to think of her yet, she showed great control but her fear towards me was just confusing. Did I _look_ scary? I glanced down at myself. Jeans, tanktop, jean jacket that belonged to Justin tied around my waist, and very thin, very defenceless pale skin. Probably the least intimidating thing a vampire had ever seen.

"Welcome back. From what I heard from your call, you two have been pretty busy." Stephen chuckled quietly, placing too much emphasis on the 'pretty busy' bit than I liked. Cait rolled her eyes almost audibly, Sara shook her head while Kelly looked politely puzzled, still standing an equal distance away from me and Stephen. "Newborn army, werewolf attacks, and a visit from the mighty Volturi themselves." Anyone within a mile radius couldn't have missed the disgust in his voice. Cait almost hissed reflexively at the word, like it was a nasty curse.

"The werewolves weren't so bad."

"Werewolves?" Kelly couldn't help herself, and when she realized she'd spoken out loud she glanced at the dirt, away from the looks sent her way. A reflex reaction, shyness. If blood could have coloured her cheeks it would have looked pretty cute on her. I almost got Sara's fixation.

"Not the typical kinds, no silver bullets or full moon." I found myself explaining warmly. I blinked, shocked at myself. It was natural to be kind to her, I didn't know why. "They're a bunch of native teenagers, about my age. They're more like shape-shifters, they can change whenever they want. Pretty formidable lot too."

"Never seen any of them this north, but then again what can I expect." Sara added with a shrug, looking quite nonchalant. I had to hand it to her, she could brush off pretty much anything. "I'm sure there's lots we still don't know about, even considering what we are too!"

Cait snickered a bit in agreement, and Stephen nodded as well, Kelly just continued to look thoughtful. I noticed Justin was still tense, his eyes focussed on Stephen's face. I wondered. Where they going to talk once I went inside? Once I was out of range of their dangerous bodies?

Cait suddenly appeared at my shoulder, tugging gently on my hand. She looked meaningfully at the cabin, then back at me, eyes silently asking for my permission to be led away. I glanced over at my lover, another shock racing through me. Could I let them be alone?

Sara and Kelly had already disappeared into the home, and Cait tugged again, much more gently this time, uncertain. I smiled weakly at her and let myself be led away. I didn't spare a glance over my shoulder, too nervous to see their reactions. Cait led me in, I was a bit surprised by how much homeier it'd become.

The cold golden wood I was used to seeing for a floor was covered with a dark red carpet from wall to wall. Two couches now sat in the far room, facing a big screen television. I had no idea how they got it in, or how they got electricity out here either, but I wasn't about to ask and find out. But I knew from the lights hanging from the ceiling that they must have jacked it somehow. Something I never expected to see made up the opposite room at the other side of the house. A kitchen.

Cait must have seen my preoccupation with the white tiled room, and a short bell-like laugh escaped her. She literally danced over to the fridge, I kid you not, fridge, and opened the white door. She dug in and picked out a red apple, tossing it to me with lightning flick of her wrist.

Had I not been used to it, and had good reflexes myself, I probably would have missed it. But Cait threw gently and I snatched it out of the air before it started to drop. She grinned her approval, and I tossed it back to her. She placed it back in the fridge, and then pulled out something I recognized easily. Blood in a bottle.

"It was Stephen's idea to stock up."

I whirled, Sara had reappeared behind me, Kelly nowhere to be seen behind her. Sara grinned apologetically, then gestured to the water bottle Cait held that was filled to the brim with the crimson liquid. I had to repress shudder. Sara grinned again, revealing all her straight white teeth. "He said that this hunting season will be fierce so it's best we try not to go out as often. We've been stocking up, we should have enough to last us at least three trips."

I felt stupid for even wanting to ask what kind of blood it was. Cait placed the bottle back in the fridge, reading the expression on my face without missing a beat. She looked apologetic too. I sighed raggedly, shaking my head and forcing a stupid smile on my face. "Well, what can you do? You need to drink."

"We've been making progress, weaning ourselves to having lower amounts." Sara told me cheerfully, only she'd say it cheerfully. Cait grinned at her, clearly sharing her delight in this development. "We're nowhere near Stephen yet, he's had ages to do this. But we're getting there."

"And Kelly?" I asked hesitantly, curious about the newborn. It was hard not to be, she seemed just as well composed as they were to this life, but I wondered.

"She's adjusting as well as she can. She's only a few months old." Sara answered me with a little frown growing on her face, she looked very troubled.

I was surprised on the other hand. A few months was nothing to laugh at about self-control. It was amazing she was able to resist her thirst. Cait read me like an open book, and snorted quietly in the background, earning a fierce glare from Sara. I rolled my eyes. Was it really going to be like this? It was like living with two hormonal best girlfriends, happy one second and at each other's throats the next. I was going to shoot them both and kill myself by the end of the first week.

"She's... Sensitive. She's able to resist it better than most of us." Sara murmured, her musical voice suddenly quite flat and low. "She's kind of like your friend Jasper, just more focussed inwardly."

"Oh." That would explain a lot. I'd told them everything of what had happened on the phone when I finally got to speak to them after leaving the Cullens. They had excellent memory, they probably knew everything better than I did already. I hadn't expected to meet anyone quite like Jasper.

As one, Sara and Cait turned to the door, faces impassive. I turned too, watching Stephen open the door, his expression calm. The girls had probably heard every word they exchanged, I was almost happy to be deaf compared to them. He walked inside, nodded to the girls and teleported upstairs.

I almost expected Cait to follow him, the two were nearly inseparable. But she didn't move, feet rooted to the spot, lips pursed and eyes downcast. Sara however vanished after him, more than likely to get back to her newest friend. Justin entered a second later, and I saw his face frozen in a grimace for a moment before his gold eyes met mine and brightened remarkably.

He flew to my side, wrapped his arm around my waist and bent to press his icy lips to mine. I allowed that, but he was going to spill every single thing that had went on out there if he wanted to share a bed with me tonight.

* * *

I didn't sleep. Even with Justin wearing the hell out of me and then silently whisking away from the bed to attend to business with the others, I couldn't make my eyes shut.

I'd twist and turn in the small cot that served as my bed, tucked away in the corner of Cait's room that she was sharing with me. I didn't mind that, I was used to no privacy. Cait was very subtle with how she acted though, she left the room when she sensed I needed it, didn't pester me at all with her silence, and even rearranged furniture for me.

There was a lot to Cait's room, but nowhere near Alice or Rosalie at all. In the other corner was a piano, not a grand one but still a rather good-looking piece. A few papers occasionally littered the surface, music notes scrawled on the front. She had a talent for playing, she preferred the classics. There was also a bookshelf, my type of bookshelf. The huge one that literally reached the ceiling, where you needed a chair to reach up to the top shelf, where the good stuff was. It was crammed full, not an inch of space was wasted.

She had a bin full of clothes, and that was about it. Alice would have an aneurysm if she saw it, that made me snicker. My bag sat beside the bin, sitting on the dark navy carpet Cait liked. A laptop sat on top of the piano, along with three brand-new notepads and a collection of pens. The walls were painted a lighter navy colour than the floor, but the ceiling was pitch black. The glow-in-the-dark stars that could be gotten anywhere peppered the ceiling, giving an odd impression of being outside.

I sighed and rolled over, pulling the sheets along with me. It was weird. I was back, I missed their coven like family and being here again made me happy. But I couldn't shake the new empty spot in my chest where Bella usually was. Was I supposed to miss her like this? Miss the Cullens like I did?

"_I'm really going to miss you."_

The words we shared in private ran through my head, the little goodbye we had by ourselves. I didn't want to express everything in front of everyone, it was the last thing she gave me before I left.

"_I'll miss you too... Promise you'll come back as soon as you can?"_

"_As soon as I can. As long as you haven't moved before. I'll track you down."_

"_Good..."_

She looked so pained, it made me want to cry too. But I got too stubborn, I refused to let a tear show. I'm pretty sure Bella saw that in me, she didn't look like she blamed me at all. We talked for a little while longer, stretching it out. Things seemed settled now, and we hoped it'd stay that way.

I kept on tossing and turning, thoughts of Bella and the coven running through my head. Would I ever get to sleep?! It took me forever, with a lot more tossing and turning too, before my eyes began to flutter by themselves. I wrapped myself more securely in my blanket, tucking my head deeper into my pillow. Let the sleep come.

**AN**

**End of that chapter, I ran out of places to go, lol.**

**Evie**


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